It took only a "little" while. Delegates to a special convention to elect the seventh Bishop of Northern Indiana did so on the first ballot, choosing the Very Rev. Edward S. Little II, rector of All Saints' Church, Bakersfield, Calif. A votive celebration of the Holy Eucharist preceded the opening of the convention in the Cathedral Church of St. James', South Bend, Nov. 5.

Other nominees were: the Rev. Richard A. Kallenberg, rector of St. John the Evangelist, Elkhart, Ind., the Rev. William M. Klusmeyer, rector of Trinity, Wheaton, Ill., and the Very Rev. Frederick E. Mann, dean of the Northern Indiana cathedral.

Fr. Little, 52, was ordained in the Diocese of Chicago in 1971. He holds degrees from the University of Southern California and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary.

Rector of All Saints' since 1986, he has served as a priest in three California parishes and one in Evanston, Ill. Following ordination in 1971, he became curate of St. Matthew's, Evanston, Ill. He was assistant at St. Michael's, Anaheim, Calif., 1973-75; vicar of St. Joseph's, Buena Park, Calif., 1975-80, and rector there from 1980 to 1986. He is a member of the Living Church Foundation, a three-time deputy to General Convention from San Joaquin, and a member of the standing committee there. He and his wife Sylvia are the parents of two adult children.

Fr. Little said he is both humbled and awed by his election. "Both the Lord and God's people have given me a wonderful invitation," he said.

Fr. Little said his current Diocese of San Joaquin, while larger than the state of Indiana, is similar to the Diocese of Northern Indiana in that both have many small congregations spread over a wide area.

He described his pastoral style as collegial and people-oriented. "The center of parish life and the center of diocesan life is people and relationships, and that's very important to me," he said.

The Littles expect to move to South Bend in January. He will be consecrated on March 18 at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

He will succeed the Rt. Rev. Francis C. Gray, who resigned last year to become Assistant Bishop of Virginia.

The convention opened with Solemn Evensong at which the Very Rev. James Lemler, dean of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, was the preacher. Dean Lemler, a son of the diocese, was ordained in the cathedral.

In an address to the convention on Saturday, Dean Lemler focused on trust as a foundational virtue for Christians and the church. He noted that the average age of clergy in the Episcopal Church is 58. He said raising up young leadership should be a priority for the Church.

Delegates to the convention heard a message from bishop-elect Little. He thanked the convention for the confidence it had shown in him and expressed how much he was looking forward to moving to the diocese.

The convention heard reports, filled various elective offices, and adopted a budget of $682,500.

(The Rev.) David L. Seger